COURSE CODE: 18FTC104A

COURSE TITLE: FOOD NUTRITION AND

DIETETICS
COURSE LEADER: DR. RAJDURAI

Topic of Presentation:

Name of Students:Hinduja R
Registration ID:20LAFT019020

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 P E N T O S E P H O S P H A T E PA T H W A Y

This pathway produces ribose from glucose, and it also generates 2

NADPH.
Two Phases: [1] Oxidative Phase & [2] Non-oxidative Phase Glucose
6-Phosphate + 2 NADP+ + H2O Ribose 5-Phosphate + 2
NADPH + CO2 + 2H+
● What are pentoses? Why do we need them?
◦ DNA & RNA
◦ Cofactors in enzymes
● Where do we get them? Diet and from glucose (and other sugars) via
the Pentose Phosphate Pathway.
● Is the Pentose Phosphate Pathway just about making ribose sugars
from glucose? (1) Important for biosynthetic pathways using NADPH,
and (2) a high cytosolic reducing potential from NADPH is sometimes
required to advert oxidative damage by radicals. 2
Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 1.Two Phases of the Pentose Pathway

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 • Oxidative Phase: Glucose-6-P 
Ribose-5-P Glucose 6-phosphate
dehydrogenase. First enzymatic step
in oxidative phase, converting
NADP+ to NADPH.
• Glucose 6-phosphate + NADP
6-Phosphoglucono-δ-lactone +
NADPH + H+
• Mechanism: Oxidation reaction of
C1 position. Hydride transfer to the
NADP+ , forming a lactone, which
is an intra-molecular ester.
• Energetics: Very favorable reaction
in the forward direction for
producing NADPH.
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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 •Lactonase. A specific enzyme that targets 6- Phosphoglucono-δ-
lactone for hydrolysis.
• 6-Phosphoglucono-δ-lactone 6-Phosphogluconate
•Mechanism : The lactone is opened by hydrolysis, the addition of
water to cleave a bond, usually a type of amide or ester. In this case,
since the lactone (by definition) is intramolecular, then 6-
phosphoglucono-δ-lactone is opened up to the acid form, gluconate.
•Energetics : Often these types of hydrolysis reactions are very
favorable.

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 •6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Performs oxidative
decarboxylation converting the 6-carbon skeleton to a pentose.
6-Phosphogluconate + NADP+ D-Ribulose 5-phosphate
+ NADPH + H + + CO2

•Mechanism :The C1 carboxylate is removed as the C3 position

is oxidized to a ketone, making 5-carbon ketose, ribulose.

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 •Phosphopentose Isomerase. D-Ribulose 5-phosphate D-Ribose
5-phosphate
•Mechanism: Typical ketose to aldose conversion. Another example of
a general acid base catalyzed reaction.

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 Non-oxidative Phase: Recycling Pentose Phosphates to Glucose 6-Phosphate
What if the cell needs much more NADPH than it needs pentose? D-ribose
5-phosphate has to be converted back to glucose 6-phosphate in multiple
enzyme catalyzed steps.
The recycling of 5-carbon skeletons as expected for the stoichiometry below
is complex:
6 Pentose 5 Hexose.

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 •Ribulose 5-Phosphate Epimerase.
•Ribulose 5-phosphate Xylulose 5-phosphate
•Mechanism : Epimerization reaction is the flipping of a
stereo center in the substrate. An epimer of a compound
occurs when only one stereo center is flipped.

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 •Transketolase & Transaldolase : A myriad of steps are
required to transform pentoses back to glucose, but
besides the epimerase, only two other new enzymes
are needed: [1] transketolase and [2] transaldolase.
•Transketolase : This enzyme uses a cofactor, called
thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). TPP is used to
stabilize a 2-carbon carbanion intermediate.
•Transaldolase : This enzyme forms a protonated
Schiff base intermediate with a ketose, stabilizing a 3-
carbon carbanion intermediate, allowing an aldehyde
based sugar to react with the enzymelinked ketose.
The mechanism is similar to aldolase.

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 • Regulation of the Pentose
Phosphate Pathway. How is this
pentose phosphate pathway
regulated? NADPH which is
generated in the oxidative branch
of the pathway can feed back and
inhibit the pathway. Glucose 6-
phosphate can still be utilized by
glycolysis.

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
 REFERENCES
[1] Transketolase + TPP Ribulose 5-phosphate + Xylulose 5-phosphate
Sedoheptulose 7-phosphate + Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate
(G3P)
[2] Transaldolase Sedoheptulose 7-phosphate + Glyceraldehyde 3-
phosphate (G3P) Fructose 6-phosphate + Erythrose 4-phosphate
[3] Transketolase + TPP Erythrose 4-phosphate + Xylulose 5-
phosphate Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P) + Fructose 6-
phosphate
[4] Reversal of Glycolysis +G3P DHAP + G3P Fructose 1,6-
bisphosphate  Fructose 6-phosphate

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Faculty of Life and Allied Health Sciences © Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences